If you are playing casino games online, trust must be one of the foremost considerations when choosing where to play. Not only are you parting with money in exchange for a service provided by an online entity who you’ll never meet face-to-face, but you have to believe that the service is fair and legitimate. And gambling, being a ‘vice’ industry, doesn’t always come with a reputation for honest and integrity. Unfortunately, it’s not just players who perform tricks to manipulate the odds (read about card-counting here). There are a few stories out there about rigged software or casino operators who go bust owing their customer base $100,000s in unpaid winnings or unsettled account balances.
The good news is that the vast majority of online casinos behave honourably. And to help you find those and be sure that you are getting value for money in your wagering, here are a few hints and tips on what to look out for when cruising for a legit gambling site.
Licensing
The number one consideration here is licensing.
Whether it is the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, any of the US’ new online regulators, or the recently-formed Ontario iGaming, wherever you are you must only play at casinos that have a license from the appropriate jurisdictions. Strict regulators set the rules on how an online casino must operate and their remit covers all these areas:
- Games must be properly audited by a 3rd party like eCorga to ensure they are fair and all outcomes of ‘events’ like spins and card turns are completely random.
- Players must be protected– they must be given the appropriate tools to set limits on their spend and given advice on how to deal with problem gambling.
- The business must be well run – player balances should be ring-fenced to ensure the are protected in the event that the business goes bust
- Advertising Standards – offers for new and existing customers must be fair and transparent with terms and conditions easily accessible
- Action must be taken to prevent fraud – online casinos are used by criminals to launder cash and regulators enforce Anti Money Laundering strategies through their licensing conditions.
Over the last decade or more online gambling regulation has become stricter to protect consumers and you can see how with all these important issues kept in check by regulators it’s critical that you make sure that licensor information clearly displayed before signing up and spending your money.
Published Payout Rates
Another indication of legitimacy is published payout rates on a site. These show the percentage of money paid out in prizes as a percentage of all the money wagered through games provided by a casino. Typically, the figure is around 95% and good casinos will publish the figure somewhere on there home page. The important element here is that it must be verified by a 3rd party software testing house or accountancy firm. You can also visit pages like this one where you can compare online casino payout rates to find one with the highest return to player.
Random Number Generators
Now, a word on RNG or Random Number Generators.
If you read up on how online casinos work then you may well find this phrase used quite a bit. It refers to the mechanism used to generate the result of a card hand, roulette spin or slot spin. Complex computer algorithms are behind the action and at licensed casinos they will have been verified by 3rd parties once again to ensure they work properly. Essentially a computer is simulating what happens on a live casino floor – that is how these games work and it should put your mind at rest that the action is fair and above board.
Live Dealer Games
If you still don’t trust the algorithms behind RNG casino games then the good news is that you can still play online, but this time interacting via live video stream with a real-life croupier dealing real cards or spinning a real roulette wheel. Just like in real life, the croupier will shuffle cards between hands and bring out new decks on a regular basis. And you can watch as this happens, thereby removing any uncertainty you may have over the honest and integrity of events. Live dealer tables are now found at every online casino offering Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Baccarat and many other format and if you have a hard time trusting an online casino they are a good way to go.
The Importance of Reputation
Finally, let’s look at the importance of reputation. Betting with a well-known brand with a global reputation is a good way to feel like we can trust the house. Big names like Bet365, 888 and MGM don’t want scandals on their hands and they have built their reputation up over many years. Some are even listed on the world’s big stock exchanges where they have a duty to their shareholders and rules on business management and practices are very strict. Breaking these rules would have serious consequences for the management teams of these firms and the future of their businesses.
So, if you are worried about legitimacy you may wish to consider restricting yourself only to those big-name operators with that kind of experience and a reputation to uphold.
We hope this short guide will help you to feel at ease placing your bets and give you a good background knowledge to take with you next time you step onto the virtual casino floor.
Have fun!
Daniel Negreanu must be good at what he does to be a person who inspires ever new generations to join the gambling arena. If that thought has ever crossed your mind, you can rest assured that you are not the only one. Daniel is more than good enough to inspire both current generations of poker players and generations to come. He has achieved almost all that’s to be achieved as a poker player. The Canadian poker player has won the World Poker Tour title twice and the World Series of Poker bracelets six times. Let’s learn more.
Biography & Personal Life
Daniel Negreanu was born in 1974 on 26th July in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. However, he now resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. That doesn’t come as a surprise since the city is famous for gambling—what a perfect residence for a professional poker player like Daniel. At the age of 4, he had started dreaming of becoming a millionaire. He wanted to gift a house to his mother in California and relocate her one day.
At the age of 15, he started sharpening his skills of becoming a professional snooker player. He would play poker, and by the time he was 16, he had graduated to visiting pool halls, playing cards, sports betting, and hustling. He eventually dropped out of Pineway Public School. He became a rounder and would also participate in illegal games. He was once married to Lori Lin Weber for two years but remarried to Amanda Leatherman 12 years after his first marriage ended.
Daniel Negreanu Gambling Career
Daniel was 22 when he decided to get a taste of Las Vegas. However, he was shocked to know that his bankroll needed a rebuild, and that’s when he decided to return to Toronto. He returned to America later and also gave poker another chance. It paid off since he has now achieved 6 WSOP bracelets including 2 WPT titles. As of 2019, he only fell third after Bryn Kennedy and Justin Bonomo, among the most outstanding live tournament poker players. That’s because, at the time, he had won $42 million in prize money. Other titles include WPT Player of the Year, WSOP winner of the Year twice, and an induction into the PHF.
Conclusion
Chasing one’s dream pays off. You have to work relentlessly until you make it. That’s what Daniel Negreanu teaches us. He wanted to be rich, never gave up, and he is now rich and famous. Even when The Strip was harsh to him, he retreated, rejuvenated himself, and had a comeback.
Online casinos offer incredible opportunities to people that would like to play games but don’t want to go out and spend money to buy equipment. Over the internet, you can find a lot of different types of casino games, so it doesn’t matter what you are looking for. If you want online bingo, there is a place for you. If you prefer roulette, it won’t be difficult to find one either.
Casino games vary in the way they are played and even more so in terms of the rules that apply to them. If you want to become a regular player or just want to try out different casino games without having to spend too much, do not be afraid to start on some of these games because they are considered easy.
Blackjack
The first game that is recommended for beginners is online blackjack. There’s nothing difficult about it. If you have played the real game before, all you need to do is log on and enjoy yourself on an internet-based platform. The only difference is that you can play it anytime, everywhere.
Blackjack allows for more freedom regarding bets. Most blackjacks are counted as soft hands and the player has the opportunity to put an extra bet on even money after getting dealt 10 points or less. This means that your skills will be tested every time you sit down at a table which makes the game even more interesting.
The easiest way to start is to find an online casino that offers practice play, so you can learn how to play before you place your money on the line. Always pay attention during the whole process because if you do things wrong, you will quickly understand why it’s not a good idea to win too much at the beginning.
Poker
Online poker is also a great choice for beginners because there are so many different ways in which you can play it and learn what you need to know. After watching the bet365 games and playing in them, you will quickly understand why people choose this game and keep coming back even when they have won or lost money.
You don’t need to play against real competitors right away. At the beginning, it’s best that you choose a platform that offers practice games and then go on with free poker tournaments where you can win some money before betting anything of value.
Once you feel more confident and your skills are polished enough, it will be time for you to make the first bets against real opponents. And of course, if you are not good enough or you want to learn more, there are plenty of poker forums that will be happy to teach you whatever you need to know about the game.
Playing these kinds of games is a great way for beginners to see how casino games can actually turn out. If you know what options are available, you will never feel lost there.
Roulette
While roulette can be a very challenging game for people that are just starting, it’s also quite easy to play when you get the hang of it. This is one of those casino games that have been played in real-life casinos all over the world for centuries and have stood the test of time so well because they are so interesting.
You don’t need to bet on real money at the beginning; it’s best that you test your skills first and only make bets with cash after you feel like your roulette strategy is working out. Of course, if you do want to play something else afterward, there are plenty of other casino games that can be found online and they will all provide a different experience for you.
Conclusion
There you go! As you can see, there are so many online casino games that offer opportunities to the beginner as well as those that want to play for fun without risking too much money. All you need is patience and a lot of focus. Once you learn how these games work, everything else will come naturally.
No matter what casino game you choose to play, the most important thing is that you don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. If you are not familiar with the rules of a game, it might be best if you start by trying out something easier or perhaps look up some basic info about any game before playing it so there won’t be any problems that way.
The first step is always the hardest but it will also be the most important thing for you to do. Once you are comfortable with how everything works, you can start playing for money and having fun at the same time.
Make sure to choose your games carefully and only bet on what you are good at. It’s best that you start small because this might save you some money in case something goes wrong.
Introduction
Winter Wonders is a video slot by Red Tiger Gaming where Disney’s Frozen meets the winter Flower Fairies. This five reels and 40 pay lines slots theme is cute and magical, with fairies gracefully floating onto the reels giving you four mini-features with big wilds, magic spins, special reels and magic nudges. Winter Wonderland also has a Free Spins Round, which gives you up to 15 Free Spins initially; however, you can win more should the Fairy decide to remove the lower-paying symbols from the reels of this medium to high variance slot with an RTP of 96.29%.
Winter Wonders Slot Features
The Fairy is the Wild symbol, and with the wave of her wand, she delivers 1 of 4 mini features, which are as follows:
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Random Big Wilds Feature – The Fairy turns one or more of the reels wild, and a new payout gets made with stacked wilds in position.
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Special Reels Feature – A spin with all the lower value symbols removed.
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Magic Reels Feature – 1 or more reels all morph into the same symbol.
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Magic Nudge Feature – The Fairy nudges different reels and creates winning combos.
Winter Wonders also has a Free Spins feature triggered by landing three gemstone scatters anywhere on the reels. Players get shown three gems. Select one to reveal the number of Free Spins you receive. The Free Spins will be between 9-15. You get to add to your Free Spins by landing more gemstones during this feature. Keep your eyes peeled for the Fairy as she can magically remove lower value symbols from the reels.
Final Thoughts
Winter Wonders has a super slick design, and it also comes with plenty of base game extras that hit regularly. The Free Spins are harder to achieve, so call on the Fairy to work her magic in this medium variance slot.
